Communication is the best policy

Communication is such a vital part of life, especially in the world of PR. This is easy to forget when going through the everyday motions in a PR firm of event planning, media contacting, tweeting, crisis management and other client needs.

This quarter has been a whirlwind for the Backdrop account. Between collecting survey results to measure awareness of the magazine on campus and helping to promote the launch of the latest issue, my team and I have been going non-stop.

But even with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is important to take as step back and remember that communication is the number one ingredient to a successful PR campaign.

Not only is it imperative to keep open doors of communication with your client, but with your team as well. If everyone is not on the same page with the campaign, then it will ultimately be doomed for failure.

To make sure we are communicating effectively, we have created individual positions for each member of the account so that tasks are divided up and each person can focus on a specific specialty. At each weekly meeting, each position is responsible for bringing up any issues or concerns regarding his or her assignments.

To further our organizational and communication skills, we are implementing the use of Google Docs to create our PR plan and to keep track of the details of all of our jobs and deadlines. We keep in close contact throughout the week when we have a lot going on and support our client in any way we can.

While the mediums of communication have multiplied in recent years, I still find that the best medium is face to face. Your words simply cannot make the same impact in a tweet or text or e-mail or even phone conversation as they can in person.

In a 2.0 world, my advice is this: take the time to really, truly communicate, whether it’s with a friend, a boss, a colleague or a client. There is so much to gain from effective communication, and it should be a priority for all aspiring public relations professionals.

From my post for the ImPRessions blog

Expect the unexpected

For a communications person, planning is everything. We have timelines, public relations and marketing plans, agendas, mile long to-do lists, scheduling and planning events and everything in between. We even plan for things that are unplanned, which is crisis communications 101.

I admit that I fall under this category of the overeager planner, even scheduling a hair appointment weeks in advance just to make sure I have every aspect of my life under control. I keep a written planner and my desk is consistently covered with post-it notes.

As fall quarter draws to a close and I have a chance to reflect on the past couple months, I’m beginning to realize how unpredictable life can be. As hard as all the Type A journalism students try (and I include myself in this category) some things will just not go along as planned, and we must learn to be ok with this fact.

I’ve grown up with a “Disney” view of the world, thinking everything will turn out the way you want it to and that there will always be a “happily ever after.” As I’ve gotten older, though, I realize that, while it is still something to strive for, perfection is not possible, and life will throw you curveballs when you least expect them.

The best insight I have gained from the past nine weeks is this: take chances, make mistakes, and just live your life. If things work out the way you want them to, great. If they don’t, you can always try again.